School Bus Driver Safety

Is there a problem with the bus drivers who service the Wichita school district? The Eagle has been on a campaign to force Durham School Services to release information about its drivers.

“I believe that the public does have a right to know if there are people who have been fired for misconduct regarding a child (or) drugs,” said Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita.

Says Eagle columnist Mark McCormick, “A House bill introduced this year would have legally obligated the district to release driver names, salaries and length of service — but not this kind of disciplinary information.”

Safety records? That might be considered fair game. Salaries? Maybe not. Here’s a question: are similar records of in-house school employees open to the public?

In general, contracting out for non-instructional services is a good thing. It lets districts focus on their core mission–teaching kids–rather than a bunch of ancillary activities.